A Wii instead of a fancy gait laboratory?

Wii Balance Board Gives $18,000 Medical Device a Run For Its MoneyPosted by timothy on Sunday January 17, @04:43PM

Gizmodo highlights a very cool repurposing effort for the Wii’s Balance Board accessory. Rather than the specialized force platforms used to quantify patients’ ability to balance after a trauma like stroke, doctors at University of Melbourne thought that a Balance Board might serve as well. Says the article: “When doctors disassembled the board, they found the accelerometers and strain gauges to be of ‘excellent’ quality. ‘I was shocked given the price: it was an extremely impressive strain gauge set-up.'” Games controllers you’d expect to be durable and at least fairly accurate; what’s surprising is just how much comparable, purpose-built devices cost. In this case, the Balance Board (just under $100) was compared favorably with a test platform that costs just a shade less than $18,000.